BL 8 SWIMWEAR

BL 8.1 All swimwear used at Olympic Games and FINA Events (pool and open water competitions) shall be swimwear approved by FINA in accordance with the rules and procedures set forth in the FINA Requirements for Swimwear Approval (FRSA) issued by the FINA bureau and valid on the date of approval. Following an approval process conducted by the Swimwear Approval Commission, a list of approved swimwear is published by FINA (the Approved List) each year. The Approved List is published each year before December 31 and is valid starting from January 1 of the subsequent year.

BL 8.2 In swimming competitions the competitor must wear only one swimsuit in one or two pieces. No additional items, like arm bands or leg bands shall be regarded as parts of a swimsuit.

BL 8.3 From January 1, 2010 swimwear for men shall not extend above the navel nor below the knee, and for women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below knee. All swimsuits shall be made from textile materials.

BL 8.4 From June 1, 2010 Open Water swimwear for both men and women shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below the ankle. All Open Water swimsuits shall comply with the FINA Criteria for Materials and Approval Procedures.

BL 8.5 From January 15, 2010 in Masters Pool Swimming competitions the rules BL 8.1, BL 8.2 and BL 8.3 apply. From June 1, 2010 the rule BL 8.4 applies also for the Masters Open Water competitions.

[NOTE TO BL8.5: It is clarified that swimsuits which fulfill the shape requirement set forth in BL 8.3, respectively BL 8.4 (for Open Water Swimming) can be accepted even if they do not bear a valid FINA approval label provided they effectively and evidently fulfill the material requirements set forth in the current FINA Requirements for Swimwear Approval. This is the case for swimsuits made of traditional permeable textile (i.e. open mesh material) material (such as cotton, Nylon, Lycra and the like) with no application of surface treatment closing the open mesh structure. In case of doubt in this respect and when notably such doubt concerns a swimsuit used at the occasion of a World record, an actual check of the swimsuit can be required from the competitor or Certifying Official and the swimsuit is to be forwarded to the FINA Office for submission to an actual control of all or parts of the requirements.]

BL 8.6 For team events in open water swimming, all swimmers from the same team must wear the same colour caps which shall also comply with the FINA rule BL 7.1.2.